Fire

Global Fire Information Management System (GFIMS) - GFIMS is an operational version of FIRMS running at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN FAO) where it complements the FAO’s existing suite of projects that deliver near-real time information to ongoing monitoring and emergency projects, to other UN organizations as well as providing information to the general public.

Global Observation of Forest and Land Cover Dynamics (GOFC-GOLD) - The GOFC/GOLD-Fire Mapping and Monitoring Theme is a project of the Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS) program, aimed at refining and articulating the international observation requirements and making the best possible use of fire products from the existing and future satellite observing systems, for fire management, policy decision-making and global change research.

UN Global Fire Monitoring Center also provides MODIS-based fire data for the international fire community.

US Forest Service Remote Sensing Applications Center (RSAC) - RSAC produces daily regional fire maps based on data from MODIS Rapid Response and their regional Direct Broadcast antenna.The maps are distributed through the National Interagency Fire Center, which coordinates all the national and regional fire agencies across the United States. The maps are used to allocate firefighting resources during the fire season. The Rapid Response staff also supplies the Forest Service with science software to generate rapid fire products from the MODIS data collected regionally by their Direct Broadcast antenna.

Floods

NRT Global MODIS Flood Mapping - NASA Goddard's Office of Applied Science (OAS) is working to operationalize near real-time global flood mapping using NRT MODIS data provided through LANCE. This work builds on the long-time expertise and efforts of the Dartmouth Flood Observatory (DFO) to map floodwater extent in detail for active floods. DFO provides additional detail, additional products, and archives of historical flood maps. The maps generated are available to governments and relief organizations. DFO also compiles yearly catalogs, maps, and images of river floods from 1985 to the present, primarily for researchers.

Agriculture

The US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) uses NRT MODIS imagery from LANCE to observe large areas across the world. These images help FAS improve the accuracy and timeliness of the crop yield predictions, which are needed to make decisions affecting U.S. agriculture, trade policy, and food aid. MODIS collects data twice daily, from the Terra satellite in the morning and the Aqua satellite in the afternoon, which helps analysts observe how events such as fires, volcanic eruptions, floods, storms, or extreme temperatures affect crops.

Global Agricultural Monitoring (GLAM), a collaborative project between the University of Maryland, USDA FAS and NASA uses NRT MODIS to produce crop masks and timely NDVI products that allow FAS analysts to distinguish between different crops like wheat and rice and predict yield by comparing current data with previous years.

Air Quality

The United States Air Force Weather Agency and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory rely on MODIS Rapid Response images to monitor and predict dust storms in the Middle East and Southwest Asia. Dust storms can interfere with troop and equipment movement and with aircraft safety. The military also uses NRT time imagery for other areas in the world where weather conditions, snow cover, smoke, fires, volcanic eruptions, and other things could impact military operations.The US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Naval Research Laboratory monitor for smoke that might be a health threat.

Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) - AERONET is a worldwide network of ground based sensors that monitor the air for aerosols to understand the impact of aerosols on climate change. LANCE provides NRT MODIS imagery of the sensor sites. By comparing satellite and ground-based observations, scientists can learn how aerosols reflect and absorb light and can validate satellite-based aerosol observations. This will improve the tools scientists use to monitor aerosols over the entire Earth.

Sea Ice

The British Antarctic Survey uses MODIS NRT imagery to help navigate sea ice and to populate Polar View, a website that delivers information about sea ice extent and icebergs directly to ships operating in the Southern Ocean. Users of Polar View in the Antarctic include national program operators, tourist vessels and other ships working in this region. The aim of Polar View is to make sea ice information widely accessible to all ships and operators in the Southern Ocean.

The Polar Geospatial Center (PGC) uses NRT MODIS imagery to flag significant polar events, this information is used task higher resolution imagery. PGC also harvests MODIS NRT imagery to add to its collection of satellite imagery supporting researchers and logistics groups in the polar science community. Timely data is used to support the US Antarctic Program. The images are used to plot new courses for the Coast Guard icebreaker and fuel and cargo ships bringing supplies to McMurdo Station, the American research station on Antarctica. Daily images are crucial to chart a safe course around the drifting icebergs and through the sea ice that covers McMurdo Sound. The images are also being used by scientists who are tracking the movement of the icebergs.

Outreach

As LANCE can create an image of an event such as a major fire the same day it happens, the images are ideal for news and outreach. Rapid Response provides regular images of storms, fires, and other events as they happen to the NASA Public Affairs Office and the media. MODIS Rapid Response images have been featured in major newspaper and television networks across the world. NASA’s Earth Observatory web site posts regular MODIS images of significant events around the world in the Natural Hazards section and as Image of the Day. MODIS Rapid Response images have also appeared on the NASA portal, the Goddard Space Flight Center home page, and on Goddard TV.

The American Museum of Natural History incorporates MODIS Rapid Response images into a regularly updated exhibit about the Earth called Science Bulletins. Displayed on interactive kiosks and on high-definition video, the Science Bulletins provide a way for museums to exhibit stories and information about current science, and are intended to show that science is dynamic with new discoveries being made constantly. There are three Science Bulletins: Astro Bulletin, which is about astrophysics and astronomy, Bio Bulletin, about biodiversity and conservation, and Earth Bulletin, about Earth and climate. In addition to being displayed at the American Museum of Natural History, the Bulletins are also made available for display to other science museums, universities, and NASA visitor centers around the United States and Canada. Currently, 21 institutions are participating. The Bulletin sites offer additional information, not available in the exhibits, as well as an archive of past Bulletins.